Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Golden Dawn
by TheFinalSync
Summary: Hyperius. A land subjugated by a tyrannical lord. Free will has been suppressed. Hope has been shattered. Pip. An amnesic human-turned-Pokemon who mysteriously awakens in this new world. Despite having no memory, strange voices in his head push him on a journey to restore peace to Hyperius. But with adversary and chaos on all sides, can Pip succeed in his mission?


**IMPORTANT NOTE: First of all, my apologies to the readers I had waiting for the next chapter. Unfortunately, that chapter won't be coming for a while. I've had a significant death in the family, and I've had a million different things going on, and am currently unable to continue the story. Someday, I'll come back and repost it and finish it. But circumstances prevent otherwise as of right now.**

But keep an eye out for it, whether it be on this account or a different one. Someday, Golden Dawn will come back... it just won't be for a while.

**Prologue: Fallen Winter**

* * *

**Great Hall of Castle Cullareux**

**Gale the Arcanine**

* * *

Death. Everything smells of death.

The metallic scent of dried blood, spreading its odious fragrance from beneath the numerous piles of fallen stone and splintered wood. The burnt, musty tang of smoke, which seemed to hang over every charred tapestry and overturned table. The rotten odor of decomposing bodies, emanating from the still corpses of Pokemon spread across the hall. None of these odors were lost on my sharp sense of smell.

"Find anything alive in there, Master Gale?"

I spin away from the carnage, watching as my partner, the Monferno, Ace, slowly eases open the two massive, burnt oak doors that had at one time marked the entrance of the Great Hall of Castle Cullareux. "Oh my Arceus..." he murmurs, gazing around the room, his eyes alighting on the ravaged wooden table in the center of the room, on the shattered remains of once magnificent stain-glass windows, on the piles of stone, wood, tapestries, and paintings lying about. With each new piece of destruction he took in, I could see more and more tears come to Ace's eyes.

"I don't think anyone survived," I respond despondently. "I mean, look around. Not a sign of life anywhere."

"But there's no way a single Pokemon killed everyone at the summit," Ace snaps. "Someone has to be alive in here!"

"You know the story; a Pokemon of unimaginable power slaughtered everyone in the castle," I reply, easing myself down into a sitting position atop a pile of rubble near the door. "Though I doubted the story myself... I guess it was true."

"I refuse to believe there are no survivors!" Ace shouts, tears beginning to spill down his face. "Help me dig through this rubble! Team Rescuers doesn't just admit defeat like this!"

"It's hopeless!" I spit back at my partner, who's desperately digging through a mountain of splintered tables and shattered stone. "Look Ace, I don't want to believe it, but we need to face the facts. No one survived Fallen Winter!"

At that the Monferno looks up, a glare in his glossy eyes. "Even if you won't help, I'm not going to leave without a search!" With that, Ace spun back towards the pile of debris, continuing to throw various chunks of rubble in all directions as he continued his fruitless search.

I sigh. Ace always was too much of an idealist. If it took a half hour of scouring the hall to make him realize no one was still alive, then so be it. He'd face the truth eventually; every one of Hyperius's leaders was dead.

At that thought, I feel a tear begin to roll down my furry red face. It had seemed like a terrible nightmare before, like I would wake up to find out that the yearly summit of Hyperius's leaders had gone without a hitch. I'd kept telling myself that during the entire twelve hour trek from home to the castle ruins. It had kept the true horrors of the situation at bay. But now, seeing the once beautiful Great Hall reduced to a pile of rubble, the weight of what had occurred truly hit me. Fallen Winter wasn't a figment of my imagination; it was real. They were all dead. All dead.

Angrily, I wipe the tears from my eyes. There will be time to grieve in private later. Right now, I have to stay strong for Ace's sake.

I glance over at the younger member of our rescue team. He's still working feverishly, still trying to find any hint of life. Tears, mixed with the dust and ash that thickened the air of the castle, had dried all across his face. I frown sadly. I had insisted that Ace didn't come with me on this rescue mission. I had known how strongly he'd react. But the young Pokemon refused to take no for an answer. Despite my better judgement, I'd let him come along.

But then I hear it... no, hear isn't the right word. I more feel it. An ever so slight thrum in the air. What it is, I don't know. But considering what's happened at this castle, it can't be good.

"Hey, Ace," I shout over at my partner, who's now searching underneath a massive wooden table at the back of the hall. "I think we've been here long enough. Time to go."

"No!" he snaps back. "You don't believe me, don't believe that anyone possibly could have survived. Well you know what, I'll show you! We aren't leaving until I've found a living Pokemon!"

"Ace..." I hiss nervously, feeling the thrum in the air once again. "I am only going to tell you once. We are leaving now!"

"If you want to leave, go right ahead!" the Monferno shouts. "I don't need you anyways! You didn't believe anyone was alive from the beginning! Just go!"

"No, I need you to listen to me. Your anger and sadness have clouded your judgement and-"

"My judgment is clear as day; see, I just embody the spirit of a rescue team more than you ever-"

"Do you realize who it is you're talking to, child? I have years more experience than-"

"Well, I have a better heart than you do!"

"Okay, you know what? We can discuss this on the way back to Vulcanious," I snap, quickly opening the small pouch at my side and pulling out an Escape Orb. The thrumming is louder now, and I can almost make out the sound of footsteps. "We are warping out of here right now, whether you like it or not!"

"Why use an Escape Orb when you've only just gotten here?"

Both Ace and I immediately spin away from each other towards the source of the voice; the entryway. I was too late; the source of the thrumming is here.

But... he doesn't seem too threatening. The voice that had spoken was very soothing and calm, not threatening like I had imagined. A very friendly, smiling Gallade stood before us, a thick brown cloak swirling around his svelte body. The Pokemon's two bladed hands were clasped behind his back, and his long, slender legs balanced lightly on the stone ground.

"Oh, we're very sorry sir," I smile, relieved that my fears had been unfounded. "We didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't disturb me," the Gallade chuckles. "I'm an explorer, just like you two. When I heard about the terrible events that occurred here three days ago, I couldn't help but travel here to search for survivors and help in any way you could."

"That's exactly what we came here for!" Ace replies. "Only we haven't had any luck with finding anyone yet..."

"Don't get discouraged, young one. I am certain that there is someone still alive within these ruins. And even if there were no survivors, others will know that you and your partner made the effort to journey out here and look. Be proud of yourself, and feel that pride forever."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me sir! I always feel pride in being a member of a rescue team."

"Good." At this, a slight sneer passes over the Gallade's face, and a note of menace enters his before light-hearted words. "Pride is a nice last emotion to feel."

Then, before I can process the Pokemon's words, a heavy force slams into my body, throwing me sideways across the hall, the Escape Orb slipping from my hand and rolling underneath a chair. My head slams hard against the stone floor, blurring my vision and sending a sharp burst of pain through my skull.

"Ace," I moan, trying to pull myself up. "Get out... get out of here."

"Master Gale!" I hear Ace scream, but his words simply echo around my skull, lost amid the pain. "Help me!"

"I'm... I'm coming..." I whisper, falling to the ground again. All of the strength seems to have left my body. I can hardly move a single paw, let alone try and fight our attacker.

But Ace isn't holding up well. The Monferno has been thrown across the room into a pile of burnt tapestries, bruised and bleeding, quietly moaning for help. The Gallade stands over him, the once kind smile gone in place of a malevolent, evil sneer.

"Congratulations on being one of the first rescue teams to arrive here!" he shouts, sending a sharp kick into Ace's side. "But I don't feel like you should leave without a proper reward! It doesn't seem right that for all the work you rescue teams do for Hyperius, no one ever thanks or rewards you!" Another kick slams into Ace, emitting a low moan from the Pokemon. "So this is thanks from yours truly. A reward you are sure to never forget!"

And then, with a loud scream of triumph, the Gallade brings one of his bladed arms down on Ace. The Monferno gives a low, weak screech of pain as the blade enters his chest, as he is lifted up off the ground into the air. But the screech is cut off when the second blade enters his skull.

"Ace..." I whisper, too weak to comprehend, too weak to help, too weak for anything. "Ace..."

"Ah, isn't that sad," the Gallade sneers, ripping his blades out of the still body, sending it tumbling to the ground. "Did I just kill your friend? Don't take it personally, it's just what happens to the gullible, trusting ones."

"Go to... hell..." I whisper, wincing as another wave of pain wracks my body.

"Now that's not very nice. You should show me a bit more respect, considering the fate of your life is controlled completely by me."

I weakly spit a globule of water and blood in his direction, glaring up at him. Ace can't be dead, Ace can't be dead, Ace can't be dead...

"You know, it'd do you good to look around before entering abandoned places where Pokemon like me could be waiting to rob you. Thanks to your lack of reconnaissance, your partner is dead and I..." The Gallade picks up my fallen Explorer bag, sifting through its contents. "Have now stolen your items and PokeCash. Fallen Winter has changed everything. It's a new world now, Monsieur Arcanine; a lawless one, a leaderless one, a chaotic one. It'd serve you well to remember that."

With that, the thief send a sharp kick straight towards my face. I feel a quick flash of pain before drifting off into the soothing black ocean of unconsciousness.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

**Unknown Point of View**

* * *

_'Welcome!_

_'Beyond this gateway, many new adventures and fresh experiences await your arrival. However, before you depart for adventure, you must answer some questions. Be truthful when you answer them! Now, are you ready?'_

**"Yeah..."**

_'Then... let the questions begin!_

_'You are in class one day, when your teacher blames you for something that you didn't do. How do you react?'_

**"Well... I guess I wouldn't really say anything. If I tried to tell them that I didn't do it then... then they might just get angrier at me..."**

_'You are walking down the street in a busy city when you notice a wallet lying on the sidewalk. Upon further inspection, you discover that the wallet is full of money and credit cards. What do you do with the wallet?'_

**"I mean, the only right thing to do would be to turn the wallet into the police so that whoever lost it could easily find it again."**

_'You are heading home late at night after a very long day when you see an elderly woman getting mugged by a criminal. What would you do?'_

**"Well... I would want to help her but I might get hurt... I would probably go home first so I'm safe, then call the police."**

_'You are asked by a teacher at your school if you would like to be on live television. What is your reaction?'_

**"I would never want to be on television! It's too embarrassing! I would just tell them no."**

_'You are walking to the store to buy a very expensive phone that you have been saving for for the past year, when suddenly a little girl runs by and steals your wallet. After following her, you discover that the girl has a terribly ill mother and that she plans to use your money to buy her medicine. What do you do?'_

**"Well... I would be annoyed that I just lost all of my money, but I'd let the girl keep it. She needs that money way more than I do."**

_'Do you always try your hardest, despite the odds?'_

**"Um... yeah, actually, I do. I always try my best at whatever I do, even if the odds aren't in my favor."**

_'I only have one more question for you. Are you a boy, or a girl?'_

**"I'm definitely a boy. That's kind of obvious..."**

_'Thank you for answering those questions. You appear to be... the timid type. You will always try to stay out of trouble, even if that inconveniences others and hurts your relationships with friends. You do not enjoy attention, and would prefer to blend in with the crowd. However, you have a good heart and strong work ethic, and will do your best to help others and give your all to every task you are faced with._

_'A timid type like you should be... a Piplup.'_

**"A... Piplup? What are you talking about?"**

_'Now, I must look inside you to discern your aura. Please remain very still, and breath slowly and calmly. That's it... breath deeply in... and slowly exhale._

_'Thank you for that. You seem to have... a blazing gold aura."_

**"Um... thanks, I guess?"**

_'Now it is time for you to enter the world of Pokemon. You are about to awaken in the country of Hyperius, a land in turmoil. You will be surrounded by war and struggle, and you will meet adversary at every step. But you must not let this dissuade you from your task! One with as golden an aura as you are destined for great things._

**"Okay... I'll remember that..."**

_'Very good. All I can do now is wish you farewell, and good luck.'_


End file.
